As the men’s defending champion Grigor Dimitrov retired with soreness, world number one Aryna Sabalenka brushed aside Russian teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva to reach the final of the Brisbane International on Saturday.
In a depressing display just over a week before her Australian Open defense, Sabalenka defeated Andreeva 6-3, 6-2 in a match that included two breaks.
Sabalenka, who finished second in Brisbane in 2024, has won the last two Australian Opens, and her ability to absorb Andreeva’s pressure in the first set and turn the screws in the second one gave her a strong chance to win three games in a row this year.
“I definitely think that I have improved a lot mentally, physically and skills as well”, the Belarusian said.
“I think every year I’m getting a little bit better”.
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Sabalenka now plays Russian qualifier Polina Kudermetova, who continued her fairytale week when she beat Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 6-3.
In the men’s draw, Dimitrov retired from his semi-final with a painful hip.
When Bulgarian physiotherapist Jiri Lehecka and the unseeded Czech player split the court for a medical timeout, the unseeded player was leading 6-4, 4-4.
Dimitrov, ranked 10 in the world, returned but played one point before retiring.
Lehecka will face American legend Reilly Opelka, who has one of the game’s biggest serves.
Lehecka, 23, will make his fourth appearance in the ATP Tour final after winning in Adelaide in January.
“I will need to be focused 100 percent all the time”, Lehecka said about facing Opelka’s huge serve in the final.
“I will need to focus on every point, every chance, because the chance can be gone in a very small moment”.
Opelka outsold Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who was ranked 17 in the world before being forced to miss the sport for almost two years due to wrist and hip issues.
In the first set, he broke the Frenchman, and he won 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), with the tiebreak.
“It’s great to be in another final — I didn’t think I’d be playing in one at all”, Opelka said.
However, once I was healed, I knew I would recover.
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